Zach's first visit
by Mini-Em
Summary: Zach is in the mental-facility, awaiting his first visitors.


**I will probably not have internet for the following week, and therefore I'm uploading a few fics this evening. Just so that you're all aware ;) Anway, Feel free to look at all my stories (On my page, as they usually are ;))**

**Okay so this is a story I wrote before S4 began to air, but still :) Someone might like to read it :) It's basically all about Zach. The other characters are present as well (most of them anwyay).. I don't want to give too much away so I'll just read it now :) **

**Please R&R =) It's very appreciated ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bones. Sad, but it's true :(**

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This day was quite special for Zach. For the first time since the Gormogon-case, when he had cut the deal with the DA's office and agreed to get admitted to the closed mental facility, he was going to have visitors.

Anxiously, he walked back and forth in the room he was in. The security guard was standing outside the room, looking in at him and it made Zach feel quite uncomfortable. He was thinking of who might come and visit him. Hodgins would come for sure, Zach knew. Angela would probably come as well, and maybe Cam too. He didn't think Booth would come as his and Zach's relationship wasn't all that. He wasn't sure about Dr. Brennan. She'd said she always had been proud of him, but somehow he got the impression that she was…disappointed. Or maybe betrayed. He wasn't sure. His family wasn't coming this time. They hadn't been notified that they could come and visit their son/brother/uncle. Zach had asked that they weren't to be told; he wasn't ready to deal with them just yet. His friends, on the other hand, had been told by Caroline Julian, and Hodgins had immediately said he'd be there. Zach's psychologist had told him yesterday that Hodgins would be coming, and Zach was quite happy about that. He had lit up when Dr. Tanner (the psychologist) had told him that his friend had said he'd be there with no doubt.

Zach sat down in an armchair and waited. He didn't wait long though because just 4 minutes after he sat down, Hodgins entered the room.

"Zach!" he called as soon as he sat foot in the room "How're things going for you in here?" Zach reached out to grab his hand, but Hodgins ignored him and gave him a mega-hug instead.

"Hodgins, you're crushing me" Zach said in a hoarse voice.

"Sorry, man" Hodgins said and released his grip "It's just that I haven't seen you in a long time. I miss you man, and so does everyone else, whatever they might say"

"Thank you" Zach sat down, and Hodgins did the same.

"So how have you been?" Hodgins wanted to know.

"It's kind of boring in here. There's no-one to compete with, and there aren't anyone to discuss the valence electrons or the content of a vacuole with!"

"Dude, I don't think you'll _ever _find someone to discuss the content of a vacuole with" Hodgins said and smiled. That was the old Zach they knew and loved.

"But we discuss it" Zach said in an half-convinced tone

"No, that's you telling me what's in the vacuole and me agreeing. Didn't you ever have a discussion in school?"

"I was never allowed to participate as my peers thought I was too dominant and they never understood what I was talking about" Zach answered truthfully.

"Why didn't you skip that grade then?"

"Because my mother thought interactions with people my own age would benefit me socially"

"I see that helped much" Hodgins mumbled.

"I never bothered what they thought, though" Zach said kind of dreamy

"That's good for you, man"

"My teachers thought I was brilliant, and I did well in class so that was all that mattered"

"I bet you graduated top of your class, didn't you?"

"As a matter of fact I did, though when I had to give the speech at graduation; Mitchell Troy threw his shoe at me. I ducked and it hit his girlfriend Rita in the head…"

"Really?" Hodgins sounded genuine interested

"Yeah, although he ended up chasing me for ducking when he threw the shoe" Zach looked puzzled.

"Kids are weird, Zach" Hodgins said. The security guard came inside and nodded to Hodgins that it was time to go "I have to go. Bye Zach. I'll come visit next time you're allowed to have visitors. I promise" he said before leaving.

Zach waited for the security guard to come and escort him back, but instead Angela entered.

"Sweetie!" She almost started to cry when she saw him "How are you holding up? Do you have everything you need? How much longer do you have to be here? Are the other people nice to you? Is your psychologist good? Cause if you want, I'm sure Booth can get Sweets or someone to help you…"

"Angela, I'm fine. Dr. Tanner's great and I don't know how long I'll have to be here"

"Are you sure?" Angela wanted to know.

"Yes. I'm fine" Zach said again.

"Okay then" Angela smiled

"So how are things between you and Hodgins?

"He didn't tell you?"

"No…"

"Well, we're almost through the divorce between me and Grayson so we'll have the wedding soon"

"That's good news, isn't it?"

"It's very good news" Angela concurred, though she sounded a bit skeptical.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I'm not really sure if I want to get married. I love Hodgins but when I see what he's going through because of me, I'm not so sure I want him to have to carry all my problems like this"

"Hodgins loves you. He doesn't care" Zach said

"I know he does, and I love him, which is why I don't think my problems should be his problems"

"But isn't that the meaning of marriage; to help bear each other's burdens?"

"What are you? The new Gordon-Gordon?" Angela said and smiled. Zach smiled though he didn't quite understand.

"Do you think I can get my job back when I'm released from this place?" Zach looked worried.

"I don't know" Angela said "Brennan had to get a grad student to become her assistant now" She sort of mumbled the last part

"Oh" Zach looked down

"But you can tell Bren really don't like him as much as she likes you" she continued.

The security guard came once again and gave the nod, indicating that Angela had to leave.

"Take care sweetie" she said, hugged him and kissed him on the cheek

"Bye Angela"

Once again, Zach was left alone and waited for the security guard. The guard came in and behind him, Cam walked in.

"Oh Zach!" She said and hugged him "God, we've missed you"

"Dr. Saroyan. Are Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan coming as well?"

"What? I'm not good enough?" Cam joked.

"No, that's not what I meant! I just wond…"

"Kidding. Zach" Cam said and took a seat. "So what's new?"

"Well, the food's not that nice, people are insane and I have to attend meetings with a psychologist every day"

"Sounds like one of our days then" Cam smiled, trying to cheer Zach up as you could tell he didn't like it here "Zach. Everyone misses you. I just want you to know that" she put her hand on his knee.

"Thanks Dr. Saroyan"

"I'm really sorry Zach, but I have to go now. I have some things to take care of. Next time, I'll stay longer, I promise" She hugged him again and left.

When she got out in the waiting area, Angela and Hodgins were there waiting for her.

"That was quick" Angela said when Cam got back.

"Yeah, I hate seeing him in this place. It's so depressing. In my head, Zach belongs in the lab"

"Dr. Saroyan, it's not just your head" Hodgins said and Angela nodded.

Booth and Brennan entered through the front door.

"Did we miss it?" Brennan asked

"No, there's still some time to visit him if you hurry" Cam answered

"Sweetie, where were you? We were getting worried" Angela asked "You were supposed to meet us here before we went inside"

"We got stuck at a stakeout since the agents that were supposed to have the dayshift never showed" Booth said "Now where is he?"

"You just walk straight through this door, turn right and then the room in the end of the corridor"

They left Cam, Hodgins and Angela standing there, and went through the glass doors separating the waiting area from the patients' common rooms.

Meanwhile, Zach was being escorted from the room by Dr. Tanner who had come to discuss his progress.

"I can't believe they didn't come" he thought to himself "Agent Booth I understand, but I really thought Dr. Brennan would come, unless I saw correctly and she had been disappointed and felt betrayed by me"

As the Doctor and Zach were walking through the corridor, the doors opened and Booth and Brennan appeared. Booth had to grab Brennan by the arm to try and keep her from running through the corridor, shouting as she saw Zach down the hall.

"Dr. Brennan!" Zach shouted when he saw them.

Brennan released herself from Booths grip and hurried towards him

"Zach! It's so good to see you" she hugged him.

"Dr. Tanner, would it be possible for Dr. Brennan and me to have some time alone with Zach?"

"Fine, but only ten minutes" Dr. Tanner escorted them back to the room where Zach had met everyone else.

They sat quiet for about a minute.

"We really miss you, Zach" Brennan said and looked him in the eyes.

"Thank you Dr. Brennan" Zach said. It meant quite a lot for him to hear that from her. Brennan had been his "idol" for many years.

"So how's life in here, Zach?" Booth asked.

"Booth!" Brennan said and hit him on the arm "You can't ask him that" she whispered

"It's okay" Zach said and turned his attention to Booth "I'll have to admit it's not very fun as there aren't many things I can do. I miss being on the outside" he looked out through the window with a longing look in his eyes that made him look like a dog.

Brennan discretely stomped Booth on his foot. It was hard enough to make Booth aware that she'd done it on purpose, but not really hard. Booth turned and faced her with a what-the-h***-was-that!?-look on his face

Brennan leaned towards him

"Tell him what you told me in the car" She whispered in his ear

"Zach" Booth said, and Zach popped out of his coma-like state of mind "I was wondering if you would like to come with me and Parker and do something sometime, like go and watch basketball or hockey or something"

"I'd really like that some time" he said and nodded. A smile appeared on his face.

"Great" Booth smiled back "I'll go and have a word with Dr. Tanner and see when it would be a good time" he walked out and when he did, he patted Zach on the shoulder with an open hand, which made Zach smile even more after he left the room. Brennan observed him. It was nice to see him happy like that in this depressing place.

"Dr. Brennan" Zach said when they were alone "Do you think I can have my job back when I'm out of here?" he was getting quite nervous

Brennan became serous.

"Zach, I'd like nothing more than for you to come back and work at the Jeffersonian, but I don't get to make that decision" She shook her head " I really wish it was up to me, and I'd hire you in a second, I hope you know that"

"Thanks anyway Dr. Brennan" Zach sighed "is he better than me?"

"Who?"

"Your new assistant, the one you had to replace me"

"Zach, no one could ever be better than you. You're the smartest, most rational and thorough person I know and no one can replace you" she said "Zach, Booth and I would not have caught as many murderers as we did if you hadn't been there to help us. Remember the Epps-case? When he had escaped from prison?"

"Yeah"

"You were the one who thought of searching the net and that saved Cam's life. And remember when you were grasping that bag of white powder, and the body was blowing up? I thought you were so brave. You stayed calm in a situation where most people would have panicked."

"Thank you Dr. Brennan" he looked really happy to hear that "I guess I just needed to hear that I mattered"

"Zach, you matter. Don't care about what people might say; you matter and I hope you know we'll miss you enormously much. I'll talk to Cam and we'll see if you can get your job back"

"I hope you'll all still be my friends even if we won't work together anymore after this" Zach said and looked out the window again

"Of course we're still your friends! We love you and we don't want anything bad to happen to you"

"What?"

"I said that we all love you, even Booth, though I doubt he'll admit it, and we don't want anything bad to happen to you"

"You all…love me?"

"Yes. Everyone loves you Zach. Everyone's here today because they love you" she smiled towards him.

"But…I thought…I thought you'd all hate me for what I did"

"Zach you made a mistake. You are human and humans make mistakes"

"But I rarely make mistakes" Zach argued

"You've realized it was a mistake and you're getting the treatment you need. That's another thing humans do" Brennan said.

"Time to go" Dr. Tanner was at the door.

"Bye Zach" she kissed him on the forehead "Remember, we love you" Brennan hugged him and exited the room, catching up to Booth who was waiting in the waiting room. The others had left.

"How did it go?" She asked him.

"We'll be going to watch baseball in a month" Booth declared and got up on his feet "You?"

"I told Zach how much he means to all of us and that we all love him"

They were walking out to the car and Booth unlocked it and got in

"That's sweet of you, Bones. Really sweet" he said as they drove off

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**Okay, so remeber: R&R! =D **


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